Former ESA All-Star and multiple title holder – 2016 East Coast Hall of Fame & WCT Legend – Cory Lopez will introduce the 2017 ESA All-Star Team at ESA’s 50th-anniversary celebration on Friday, January 27, 2017, at Surf Expo at 6:15pm
Cory Lopez @ Teahupoo, Tahiti Photo: Tom Servais
Former World #3 and multiple (5X) ESA National Title Holder, Cory Lopez (USA) will introduce the best young surfers in the ESA as they are introduced to the surf industry in Orlando.
“The ESA gave me a platform in which to compete and hone my skills against the best kids on the east coast,” states Lopez.
An elite WCT campaigner, leading aerial surfing exponent and star of the “Lost Generation” series of groundbreaking videos, Cory Lopez is perhaps best known for challenging the boundaries of heavy barrel riding at Teahupoo, Tahiti; the Banzai Pipeline and other locales around the globe.
He is also the only (male) Floridian (or U.S. East Coaster) to seriously challenge for a World Title besides 11X World Champ Kelly Slater and CJ Hobgood; holding the #1 Spot in 2001 for several months after winning his maiden WCT Title at Teahupoo, Tahiti. Cory jockeyed with fellow East Coaster CJ Hobgood for the Title that year, finishing a respectable #3 in the World.
In 2003 Cory won the US Open and placed 2nd behind good friend Andy Irons in Fiji. In 2006 Cory made the Pipe Masters Final; placing 3rd over Rob Machado; following (3X World Champ) Andy Irons and Kelly Slater (in first and second place, respectively).
In between his consistent Top 10 Finishes on the ASP World Championship Tour (now WSL) and Surfer Mag Poll (Top 10); Cory managed to best Slater by winning the inaugural Sebastian Inlet Pro in 2005 and helped lead the East Coast to Three (3) consecutive Gold Medals in the ESPN X Games.
Along the way, Cory was part of the first expeditionary team that discovered the iconic Skeleton Bay Left Point Break in Africa. Additionally, he helped lead the U.S. Team to a Gold Medal Victory during the ISA (IOC/Olympic Recognized) World Games in Costa Rica (2010) and led the first US delegation to China in 2012, earning a Silver Medal at the inaugural ISA China Games.
Countless Magazine Covers, video parts and event finishes later, Cory Lopez is still charging and is in the prime of his career. No longer chasing world tour points, the father of 3 is however still chasing perfect waves around the Globe as a Global Brand Ambassador for O’Neill (Wetsuits, Clothing & Eyewear), Rockstar Energy Drink, On-a-Mission (OAM), Nekton Surf Shop and Corkcicle.
The Eastern Surfing Association is celebrating its 50th year in 2017 and is dedicated to the sport of amateur surfing, to the operation of a program of amateur competition for surfers of all ages and abilities, and to the establishment and preservation of free access to a clean shoreline and ocean environment. It was founded in 1967 by East Coast surfers to promote, preserve, and protect the sport of surfing on the East Coast.
Cory Lopez Athlete Blog: http://www.gulfster.com/corylopez/